Teens Drug Addiction and Health
The medical consequences of drug addiction
Substance abuse is often accompanied by a wide range of physical, mental, social, and emotional consequences. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the medical conditions that individuals with a history of drug addiction are at increased risk of suffering from include heart and lung disease; stroke; various types of cancers; disorders of the throat, larynx, pancreas, stomach, kidney, and cervix; and brain damage.
Drug abuse and mental disorders
No one has established a definitive cause-effect relationship between drug abuse and mental disorders, but statistics have consistently demonstrated a strong association between the two. In some cases, individuals who are afflicted with certain mental disorders may be more likely to experiment with drugs, while in other situations it is the substance abuse that leads to or exacerbates a mental or emotional vulnerability.
Drug abuse’s effects on family and friends
In addition to the wide range of personal consequences that have been linked to substance abuse, addiction can also take a severe toll on the health and well being of people who love, care about, or are dependent upon an addicted individual. The following are just three examples of the many ways in which our actions can have devastating effects on others in our lives:
- Infants & children – Children who are born to mothers who used drugs while pregnant are at risk for many physical and developmental disorders, including being born addicted to drugs and suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome. Many of these children require educational support due to deficits in their ability to behave, pay attention, and retain information.
- Second-hand smoke – Also referred to as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), secondhand smoke has been determined to be a source of exposure to a variety of potentially harmful chemicals. Involuntary smoking (or exposure to ETS) has been associated with as much as a 30-percent increased likelihood of suffering from heart disease and lung cancer.
- Infectious diseases – Injection drug use has been linked with as many as one third of all new cases of HIV infection, and has also been found to be a prime factor in the spread of hepatitis C. Drug users who don’t resort to intravenous injection are still at higher risk for certain infectious diseases, as their intoxication makes them much more likely to engage in dangerous behaviors such as unsafe sex.
Oft-abused substances & their effects
- Alcohol – Drinking alcohol can inflict significant damage on most of the body’s organs, including (but not limited to) the heart, lungs, liver, and brain. Within the brain, alcohol’s effects are particularly devastating on the cerebral cortex (which controls higher functioning such as problem solving), hippocampus (memory and learning) and cerebellum (coordination). Alcohol abuse has also been associated with cirrhosis of the liver, heart attack, stroke, and the development of certain types of cancers.
- Amphetamines – In the short-term, amphetamine abuse has been linked to irregular heartbeat, hypertension, and a variety of psychological problems. Longer-lasting effects can include memory loss, mental impairments, and severe dental problems (also known as “meth mouth”). Amphetamine use can also raise body temperature to dangerous heights, and can cause heart problems and seizures.
- Cocaine – A quick-acting stimulant that is popular in both powder and rock (or “crack”) form, cocaine is a short-acting stimulant that many users will ingest multiple times in a single session. The medical consequences of cocaine abuse include heart damage, impaired respiratory functioning, and damage to the nervous and digestive systems.
- Heroin – The most addictive and powerful of the opioid family of drugs engenders feelings of intense relaxation and euphoria among users, but at the same time it also slows respiration, causes damage to the livers and kidneys, and introduces infections to the heart. Injecting heroin also puts users at higher risk for infectious disease such as HIV and hepatitis.
- Inhalants – Volatile (and common) substances such as oven cleaners, gasoline, and aerosol sprays can induce mind-altering effects on individuals who sniff (inhale fumes through the nose) or huff (breathe fumes through the mouth) them. The recreational abuse of these substances has been linked with damage to the heart, lungs, brain, and kidneys – and in many cases has resulted in death.
- Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit substance. This drug impairs short-term memory and learning, the ability to focus attention, and coordination. It also increases heart rate, can harm the lungs, and can cause psychosis in those at risk.
- MDMA (Ecstasy) produces both stimulant and mind-altering effects. It can increase body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and heart wall stress. Ecstasy may also be toxic to nerve cells.
- Nicotine – Found in cigarettes, cigars, and other forms of tobacco, this addictive stimulant increases the odds that a regular user will develop certain types of cancer, emphysema, bronchial disorders, and diseases of the heart and lung. Experts estimate that the use of tobacco is associated with the deaths of as many as 100 million people in the past century.
- Prescription medications – Over-the-counter drugs and prescription meds are among the most commonly abused substances in America today – a practice that is not only addictive, but in some cases is lethal. Painkillers, sedatives, and stimulants are among the most prevalently abused of these drugs, which (because of the variety of substances that fall under this category) can inflict a wide range of short-term and long-term damage up to and including death.
- Steroids – No longer a problem only for elite athletes or obsessed bodybuilders, steroid abuse has filtered into U.S. high schools, and is even being used by people for little more than cosmetic purposes. Though the use of the drugs has changes, steroid’s effects – including severe acne, heart disease, liver problems, stroke, infectious diseases, depression, and suicide – remain as devastating as ever.
In addition to the health problems elaborated upon above, myriad other consequences await individuals who are taking different types of drugs at the same time or in close proximity to each other. Even two relatively benign substances can interact with decidedly negative results.
Regardless of the intention of the user, even first-time experimentation with illicit substances can result in short-term consequences, long-term damage, and death.
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